Car wants to drive its self.
02-27-2009, 03:25 PM
#1
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Car wants to drive its self. My car has gotten to the point where it will be fine one minute and then want to go all over the road.It scares me sometimes,especially when it rains.Was thinking a sway bar link,bushing,etc may be the culprit.I glanced under the front of the car and didn't see anything.It's raining,so kind of hard to get under it.I hear what sounds like a rattle coming from under the right front of the car sometimes,and when it happens that's the side it goes too.Any suggestions as to what to start checking first? thanks
02-27-2009, 04:37 PM
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Do the easy things first, check to see if your rotors are warped, your wheels are aligned and not loosely mounted. Eliminate all of the easy things first then move on to bigger (worse) things.
02-28-2009, 07:57 AM
#4
Warped rotors will only cause issues when you are on the brakes. You may get some shake but it is not going to make rattles and have the car all over the road. If it is all over the road on braking then it will more than likely be a braking power distribution problem. A loose wheel will have a HORRIBLE vibration. Odd tire wear is generally the effect of an issue, not a cause (and a random cause at that). To see if the tires OR round or ARE round? If the tires are not round it will shake like a SOB and they should have caught that when mounting them.
If the car randomly pulls, sounds like you are on the right track. Start with the components you list, maybe check out the tie rods (panhard bar issues can also cause weird issues like this). It is just strange that it randomly happens. Are you sure you are not riding on a rutted road as with the larger tires it will cause the car to pull hard even with nothing wrong. What it really sounds like it a hanging suspension component or an issue with the steering rack. I have been in cars that tracked strait and then would randomly pull hard right out of nowhere. It was actually a spring preloading issue causing the pull (which could not happen on these suspensions).
If the car randomly pulls, sounds like you are on the right track. Start with the components you list, maybe check out the tie rods (panhard bar issues can also cause weird issues like this). It is just strange that it randomly happens. Are you sure you are not riding on a rutted road as with the larger tires it will cause the car to pull hard even with nothing wrong. What it really sounds like it a hanging suspension component or an issue with the steering rack. I have been in cars that tracked strait and then would randomly pull hard right out of nowhere. It was actually a spring preloading issue causing the pull (which could not happen on these suspensions).
Last edited by WS6FirebirdTA00; 02-28-2009 at 08:03 AM.
02-28-2009, 09:53 AM
#5
My appologies for the grammatical error. It was supposed to be "check to see if the tires ARE round". No, it wont necessarily make the car shake like a SOB and no the retards at the tire shop won't catch something like that unless you make them check. And then its sketchy...
Uneven tire wear was not suggested to be the sole problem. Of course it is caused by something... Possibly not being rotated properly? The OP stated one minute his car is fine and the next minute it wants to go all over the road. That sounds random to me...
Not trying to pick a fight but I have experienced these issues first hand and have seen it result in exactly what he is talking about. I wouldn't mention it if I didn't think there was some validity to it. And since he is looking at the easy things first this definately fits.
Uneven tire wear was not suggested to be the sole problem. Of course it is caused by something... Possibly not being rotated properly? The OP stated one minute his car is fine and the next minute it wants to go all over the road. That sounds random to me...
Not trying to pick a fight but I have experienced these issues first hand and have seen it result in exactly what he is talking about. I wouldn't mention it if I didn't think there was some validity to it. And since he is looking at the easy things first this definately fits.
02-28-2009, 11:11 AM
#7
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Check for hardware failure/broken parts before you will be involved in a real accident due to the problem- place car on a lift and use your eye and hands. This is serious ****.
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02-28-2009, 11:32 AM
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If your cars doing that kind of stuff, park it and get the problem fixed before something serious happens to you or someone else. Good luck and keep us informed.
03-04-2009, 07:18 AM
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Not sure if your experiencing something worse than I do, but when I have stickier wider tires than usual on the front, the car likes to follow ruts in the road. It gets worse in the rain. Worse on certain roads/highways. Feels kinda scary at times and I feel like I need to pay extra attention while driving and holding the wheel straight.
What kind of tires do you have and the size? Can you borrow someone's front wheels, mount them, and see if you still have the same problem?
What kind of tires do you have and the size? Can you borrow someone's front wheels, mount them, and see if you still have the same problem?
